Just Drunk Enough To Be Sober
by soulache
Summary: Rufus and Lilly make the right choice, finally. TV version Alison bashing... be warned.


**Spotted: **

_High school never ending. That's right ladies, you're never too old for a public cat fight._

Alison Humphrey ripped Lilly van der Woodsen a new one and from what we could tell it was completely unprovoked. Fighting for Mr. Lonely Boy from what was gathered, and much was. But don't worry, Lilly didn't go quietly; She got in a few punches of her own.

Like father like son? Where are the van der Woodsen's when you need them?

But we can answer the question: "Like mother like daughter?" as we saw Lilly drowning her sorrows at the hotel bar. Well, at least that's what we heard. 

You know you love me,  
xo xo Gossip Girl.  
_  
_

* * *

Rufus had to rub his eyes in disbelief when his daughter Jenny sat him down in front of the computer to read the... article? Could one call it that? Apparently high school never did end, it just changed. What ever happened to word of mouth? Apparently that was completely out of date now.

Yes, he was angry. Angry that Alison would come home and not expect for anything to change, especially after she cheated on him. Angry that she would drag Lilly into it, Lilly who certainly had enough problems without this. Angry that Alison would approach or speak down to Lilly at all.

Lilly never abandoned her family, and she certainly had a worse circumstance to deal with. When he asked Jenny who the hell "Mr. Lonely Boy" was, she explained to him that Dan was nicknamed Lonely Boy. So logically, Mr. Lonely Boy would've been him.

He grabbed his jacket with every intention to go apologize for his... wife. If you could call her that, if you could call their sham of a relationship a marriage. He ignored Jenny when she asked if he was going to check on mom, and just kept going.

He found himself getting more and more angry with his wife, and feeling worse and worse for the circumstance that he had dragged Lilly into. That his stupid, yearning heart had dragged her into because to him they had never really been done.

He found Lilly drunkenly fumbling with her keys trying to quite unsuccessfully open her hotel door. Her cheeks were flushed and she was laughing a little too loudly for the quiet hotel hallway, it reminded them of the first time she had gotten drunk and he had tried to sneak her back into her house.

"Need some help, Lil?" He sauntered up to her and took her keys out of her dazed hands. 

"That would be _wonderful,_" she loudly whispered to him as she leaned forward conspiratorially. "Good luck though, they don't fit at all."

He slid the key in and the lock clicked as it came undone. He swung the door open with an unabashedly amused face and she looked up at him shocked. 

"Beginner's luck," Lilly announced waving her hand grandly.

She walked in not bothering to shut her door which he took as an invitation to follow her in. She dumped herself down onto the chair and began trying to take her shoes off. Although, maybe rip her shoes off would be a more accurate description.

"Need help, Lil?" Rufus found himself asking again.

"Pfft. No, I don't need _help._ They've simply welded themselves onto my feet, and I will have to live with them now for the rest of my life as part of my body." She slid down in the chair a little bit and tilted her head back closing her eyes.

He leaned down in front of her and took her calf in his hands, set her foot onto her lap and began slowly working on the straps that were obviously made for someone with ridiculously small hands. He couldn't help but indulge himself a little and rub his thumb against her soft skin. He heard her sigh a little as she sunk down further into the seat. His groin tightened at the images, memories that slid through his mind at the familiar sound, and he set himself to quickly undoing the next shoe.

"All done," Rufus announced feeling greatly relieved to not be touching her. 

"That's just-"

"Beginner's luck?" Rufus cut her off dryly.

"No, it's cause you're sober." Lilly's nose wrinkled attractively as she mocked both him and herself. 

"Listen Lilly, I'm here to apologize-"

"Oh, spare me!" She smacked her hand dramatically onto her forehead. "Besides, I was quite a bit meaner than she was. Apparently I don't react well to be yelled at."

"You were meaner than Alison?"

"What can I say? When cornered Millie has a backbone!"

Rufus laughed remembering the plays Alison had wrote. Of course Lilly would've known they were about her, she wasn't stupid. The whole school had known about it. It didn't embarrass Lilly, if it should have embarrassed anyone it should've been Alison. But it didn't. That's just how Ali was.  
_  
_"What did you say?" Rufus couldn't help himself, he was curious.

"Well, I may have referred to her as Mrs. Hump _Freely,_" Lilly admitted with a soft snort that would've shocked anyone who hadn't known her for as long as he had.

"You insulted her using my last name. That's..."

"Talent? Brilliance? Classic?"

"Pure evil. I'm seeing a whole new side to you, Lil. What else did you say?"

She muttered something and he could see her cheeks turning red. He hadn't caught what she said though and asked her to repeat herself. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

"Well, she called me a home wrecker. And I might have said something like: If anyone put the 'ho back in home wrecker it was her."

He knew that should hurt. He knew he should feel bad because it was true. His wife had wrecked their family, but at that moment all he could do was laugh. Laugh at the image of Lilly van der Woodsen saying something like that, and the image of Ali finally being shut up for once in her life. All of a sudden it was just the funniest situation in the whole world, and he felt so free.

"I wish I had been a fly on the wall," Rufus says and he means it. What he wouldn't have given to see that old fire in Lilly's eyes.

"Ah, but if you were a fly on the wall no one would be fighting over you."

"So you were fighting over me?"

"Oh, don't you just wish," she said enunciating each word carefully as she reached out a finger and tapped it on his nose.

"I did. I do." Rufus reached out to grab her finger and then his large hand reached out to cup her neck. He brought her face towards his own and her lips stuttered open on a silent sound. Then they were kissing. Kissing like they always kissed, as if it were to be the last kiss ever. Kissing rough, sometimes gentle, always passionate. Kissing as if they were the only people on the earth. Kissing as if they were drowning, kissing as if it was their first, their last, their only.

He released her and she licked her lips. He groaned and brought her forward again, kissing her soundly on the mouth. He had to be losing his mind and he just couldn't care. He loved this woman, had always loved this woman and all she was to him.

"Wow," Lilly breathed sounding shockingly sober.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done that." 

"I'm glad you did," she admitted in a small voice. 

"You're drunk."

"You're in pain. Does one cancel the other out?"

"You're not thinking clearly."

"I didn't drink _that_ much. I'll remember this in the morning, and I'm sure I'll curse myself for not having the courage to do this before."

Lilly stood up, not wavering, grabbed his hand and shoved him down onto the bed. After rough hands, gentle lips, and a lot, a lot of pleasure they both collapsed exhausted into one another.

Both drunk on the other, both soberly conscious of the swelling of their hearts.


End file.
